On the 24th of February 2022, Russia started officially invading Ukraine. Since then, more than 6.5 million people have been displaced and close to 1,000 people have lost their lives although sources say that the numbers may be higher.
Many countries have opened their doors for displaced Ukrainians whereas others have come together to show support in different ways.
ITV’s Concert For Ukraine
One such initiative is ITV’s concert for Ukraine. It is a televised two-hour fundraiser event to be aired on March 29. The event will have major stars perform to raise awareness and money for the Disaster’s Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal for the Ukrainians.
The DEC has come together with STV, ITV, Global, and Livewire pictures to broadcast the upcoming concert. A press release estimated that the concert should raise around 3 million Euros, all of which would be donated.
The concert will feature artists performing shows with short movies in between that recognize the ongoing plight of the Ukrainians along with struggles that they are facing. This will further encourage viewers to make donations during the show.
More artists are to be announced in the upcoming days. Tickets for the show go on sale on 22nd March 2022 on theticketfactory.com.
Celebrities Performing At The Event
💙💛 @Camila_Cabello, @edsheeran, @emelisande, @GregoryPorter and @snowpatrol are the first performers to be announced for Concert for Ukraine, a two hour fundraiser event raising money for the @decappeal humanitarian appeal in Ukraine on Tuesday 29 March on ITV 🌻 pic.twitter.com/TnoBCfWX3f
— ITV (@ITV) March 21, 2022
Emili Sande, Gregory Porter, Ed Sheeran, Snow Patrol, and Camila Cabello have been confirmed to perform at the event. Camila Cabello even came out to publicly make a statement supporting Ukraine.
She said ‘My heart is breaking for the people of Ukraine. As refugees from Ukraine join millions of other displaced people around the globe, we all have a responsibility. One of the biggest needs is to get funds to organizations who can serve these communities directly, so we’re focusing our efforts on doing that as quickly as we can.’
Emeli also came forward to say ‘I will be singing to try to help every human being forced to flee their home and in solidarity with those being racially discriminated against even within this humanitarian crisis. Nobody should be refused access to relief, aid and the right to cross the border to safety, and I’m pleased for the chance to support the DEC’s appeal to help all people whose lives have been affected by the conflict.’
Musicians In Support Of Ukraine
Many Russian musicians who opposed the invasion of Ukraine have been blacklisted in Russia where their music is no longer being played on the radio.
However, this did not dampen the spirits of Beton, a Ukrainian band. The hardcore punk band got permission to re-record the popular song London Calling as a protest song called Kyiv Calling.
Benefit concerts have been around for quite some time. It is a great way for people from all backgrounds to come together and support a common cause. Earlier, such benefit concerts have been held to help raise money and awareness for diseases or disasters.
In this case, the cause is a threat to millions of innocent lives in Ukraine that are being targeted for no fault of their own.
